Peanut butter & jelly, turkey and cheese, roast beef with horseradish -there’s something for everyone when it comes to sandwiches. But with hundreds of different packaged breads to choose from in the grocery store, leaving with a healthy loaf can be a challenge. Here are a few tips to help you navigate the bread aisle to help you choose healthier store-bought breads.

1. Be wary of breadsthat don’t have “100%” on the label. You’ve probably heard whole grains provide more vitamins, minerals and important nutrients than refined grains. It’s unfortunate but since there are no regulations on whole grain labeling, bread manufacturers can place healthy sounding words on their packaging that may mislead consumers, many times mixing a small amount of whole wheat with regular all-purpose flour.

Don’t be deceived by bread packaging that claims to be:

Whole grain, whole wheat or white wheat – it probably only contains a small amount if the package doesn’t say 100%

100% natural – natural does not mean whole wheat or whole grain

7-grain – it might have 7 grains but may contain a fair amount of refined flour as well

If you’re not a fan of regular whole wheat, look for 100% white whole wheat which is made with a different type of wheat that bakes up softer and with a milder flavor but still has the healthy components of traditional whole wheat.

2. Look for a 10:1 carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio on the nutrition label. For every 10 grams of carbohydrates in a serving, there should be at least 1 gram of fiber. Thus, if there are 30 grams of carbohydrate in 1 slice of bread, that slice should contain at least 3 grams of fiber.

3.Choose breads with little or no added sugars. Traditional homemade bread does not contain sugar but it’s added to many packaged breads to retain moisture, add softness and a mild sweetness. If you’re having trouble finding a loaf without added sugar, keep in mind that ingredients are listed by weight. The farther down sugar is listed on the ingredient list, the less the bread will contain.

When you look at the ingredient label, keep in mind sugar may be disguised as:

4. Avoid all breads with trans fats. Whole grains contain healthy fats but some bread manufacturers are still adding trans fats in the form of partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats are associated with increased LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and increased serum triglycride levels, so we want to avoid these in all foods we eat. If you see the word “partially hydrogenated” anywhere in the ingredient list, put the loaf down and keep looking.

In general, the average slice of 100% whole grain bread will provide 80-110 calories, 3-5 grams of protein and 3-5 grams of fiber per slice. Take 2 and you’ll certainly have a solid foundation for a satisfying sandwich!

Got a favorite brand of whole grain bread to recommend? Share it in the comments below!

Elle Penner, M.P.H., R.D., is the Registered Dietitian and Food & Nutrition Editor at MyFitnesssPal, as well as an active runner and food-enthusiast. For more healthy living inspiration, connect with her on Twitter and Pinterest.

Great post. It’s also very easy and cheap to make homemade bread using the no-knead method or the stretch-and-fold method (both lazy and fairly fool-proof ways of making bread). At its simplest, bread is four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. Nothing else is needed. You can add all sorts of whole grain goodness to homemade bread by throwing in things like rolled oats, flax seed, etc. An inexpensive bread made from grocery-store flour and generic oatmeal is surprisingly good and better for you than the highly processed breads on the grocery store shelves.

MzKindra

I’ve often thought about making my own bread, but got discouraged when I found recipes that looked too difficult or require me to be Julia Childs. If I found something as easy as what you describe, I’d give it a go!

I’ve only done it with white flour so far, I am looking to try different types of flour like whole wheat and oat, or a mix of the two.

I have mixed Italian seasonings in one batch and it came out GREAT!
I tried cinnamon in a different batch and it was just ok but I did not try a second time yet to get it just right……

Good Luck!

Sarah

Ezekial Bread!!!!!

Herb Andler

we use pepridge farm 15 grain

snowdance1

It’s funny how this blog post serves to validate my choices. I have a quick trip to the bread aisle and buying the same 100% whole grain or Ezekiel bread products. Purely selfish reasons, though: other than it being the healthiest choice, it also makes my food logging expedient!

Rodger

Even when not trying to loose weight my fav bread is the sara lee diet bread. Not only does it have less calories, but it never goes bad :-~ When is good for me as I don’t eat much bread.

Jen

The longer the shelf life the short yours.

weighinginwithmy02

Bread that never goes bad is loaded with additives and preservatives, hence it not going bad. That’s not necessarily a good trade off for lower cals.

Bambi McElroy

Mine too, I like the Sara Lee 35 calorie wheat bread. Works for me.

shade

I keep MY bread in the freezer and take what I need and put it back in the freezer it takes all of 5 minutes to defrost and you can even make your sandwich on the frozen bread adds some refrigeration to your bagged lunch) frozen bread makes perfect toast !!;-)

k

buy a bread machine and make your own bread. I have been doing this for 10 years and it is time to replace the machine

1hilda1

everyone should try Silver Hills Sprouted bread…I get it at Costco….it’s the one in the blue bag….it has 110 cal and 19 carbs in 2 slices and is the most satisfying bread I have ever eaten … I am one of the worlds biggest carb addicts and this bread has help change my life….I am eating low carb now and have been able to lose 48.4 lbs in 8 months and got my sugar levels down to perfect now and I will be able to get off my diabetes meds soon

pearlmorning

Thank you for sharing this, it was very interesting and informative!

KSel

Anyone else eat the 35 calorie Healthy Life wheat bread? It’s 70 calories for 2 pieces and that sounds good to me, plus it’s got good stuff in it.

poorlittlesickgirl

Ive tried it but didnt care for the taste or texture. I too buy Nature’s Own breads.

Kathy Jones Campbell

I have been eating Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat with 14 grams of Whole grain per slice. It has 50 calories per slice and seems to meet the criteria. Not thrilled that brown sugar was the 3rd ingredient but each slice has 10 carbs and 2g fiber with 1 g sugar so hoping not too bad. it doesn’t provide quite as much fiber per slice but I like the taste and hope it meets my needs. I only recently started caring about all of this. Trying to lower my cholesterol by changing my eating habits.

Dolores

Congratulations!! Good luck..been veg over 20 yrs and always feeling great about it! Keep up the good work

Peerx2

Nature’s Own also makes a 100%whole wheat with no added sugar. It’s the one I buy.

Why hasn’t anyone mentioned Joseph’s Flax Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread? It has 0 sugar 8 carbs and 4 fiber. I use these for breakfast burritos. I spray with pam or olive oil in oven to make chips. They are awesome.

My husband and I love Dave’s Killer Bread, and our favorite is the Good Seed. It’s healthy for you, and we really like the crunchiness of the bread with all the seeds. First found it at Costco, and then found it at our local Winco. It’s expensive, but well worth the cost.

VR

What abt sourdough breads? Are they in the lower glycemic category ?

Benjamin Kohl

Somewhere along the way, I read that a lot of wheat bread is baked with bleached flour then the molasses is added to give it back that dark color. Is that something to look out for too or is it not worth worrying about?

Constance

Yes, it is not really wheat bread, it is dyed white bread. Look for 100% wheat bread.

Constance

Yes, it is not really wheat bread, it is dyed white bread. Look for 100% wheat bread.

Constance

Yes, it is not really wheat bread, it is dyed white bread. Look for 100% wheat bread.

Ralph W.

Also, a lot of so called healthy bread have high salt content!

Barb Brandenburg

Alvarado Street Bakery Sprouted Whole Grain Breads. I use California Style Complete Protein Bread.
Alvarado Street Bakery is the country’s longest-running cooperatively owned organic bakery. They are reasonably priced & sprouting breaks down grains without refining or removing any of the fiber or
protein, which improves both nutrient content and digestibility. It also
keeps the glycemic index nice and low.
They have several different varieties.

Woodcarver

“Alvarado St. Bakery” Flax Bread is tasty and not too dry, as some can be. They have several other flavors too.

Mary Conn

Great Harvest Bread Company: Their whole wheat and honey whole wheat bread has five simple ingredients. And p.s. I’t’s the wheat that’s messed up. Even if it says 100% whole wheat much of the weat and flour that we have today is sprayed with crap that makes it easier to grind. Making your own bread just isn’t that hard. Get a Kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook and have at it.

Pat Hubbard

All the bread at Rotella’s Italian bakery. Love it.

adam

lately, i’ve been on the next level……nature’s own from sam’s club seems to be a good hit here…..it’s 100 percent wheat…..at least i can get my fiance to eat it…lol. i buy the 100 percent whole wheat pan-size bread though, with the nuts/flax/etc…on the top lol. it’s only 100 calories per slice, and the slices are so big that i only need 2 slices….rather than 4…..for my sandwiches lol. and it’s funny, cause i walked into ALDI and their bread seems to have identical nutrition facts to that of nature’s own…..and far cheaper! and yes, no high fructose corn syrup……my next goto, to try is this new ‘sprouted grain bread’ i’ve seen in the freezer section….i’ve read and heard good stuff about ezekiel bread…..but this was another brand…..i found in the walmart freezer section….

omgstfualready

I’ve been enjoying Browberry/Arnold Double Fiber bread. It isn’t the most ‘clean’ product but I do trade off for the 6g of fiber per slice.

mihaela

i make my bread : with normal flour , oats Psylium and olive oil, the best ever, sometimes i put other digestive things too

Renee-Ann

I have been eating Ezekiel bread as well but yesterday I bought a new one (new to me) called Little Big Bread made with whole grains. It is a vegan bread and has no dairy products as well. Havent tried it yet but can’t wait. Has anyone tried it? How did it fair for you?

Look into bread made from fermented or sprouted grains, the fermenting or sprouting makes the grain more easily digestible

Maggie Cozad

Nature’s Own 100% whole grain

Felicity

Im loving this board! but are there any suggestions out there for a wholesome low calorie bread that can be bought in Australia. I’ve recently tried protein bread which tastes ok, but still 92 calories per 2 small slices

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